Petals from the London 2012 Cauldron Will be Delivered to All Four Corners of the World

Miami, FL 2012 - This week, UPS is completing the final deliveries of the Olympic and Paralympic Cauldron Petals to each of the 204 competing nations, bringing a small piece of London 2012 to the world. The London 2012 Cauldron, created by world-renowned designer, Thomas Heatherwick, includes 370 custom made Petals which have been specially encased in presentation boxes, engraved and sent to each Olympic and Paralympic nation as a memento of the London 2012 Games.

Across the globe, UPS is taking care of the safe handling, packaging and delivery of this final token of London 2012. As part of its service solution, UPS has created special bespoke packaging to ensure all the Petals are housed safely and correctly for their onward journeys.

"The Cauldron was designed around the concept of bringing 204 very small humble objects together to build a single unified creation at the centre of the stadium," said Cauldron designer Thomas Heatherwick. "Very much like the Games, it signifies a coming together of the world, united during London 2012. It is an incredible feeling to know that with the delivery of the copper elements to each of the Olympic nations, through UPS, the legacy of London 2012 will continue to burn bright round the world."

"The final delivery of the Petals is a real honour for us at UPS and marks the end of more than four years of planning," said Cindy Miller, Managing Director, UPS UK, Ireland & Nordics. "Playing such a central role in delivering London 2012 has been an incredible opportunity for both our employees and for the business as a whole. With the delivery of the Petals to each competing nation, hopefully this small piece of London 2012 will ensure the memory of the Games lives on, not just here in the UK, but across the world."

The Petal delivery is just one element of UPS's Olympic activities. As Official Logistics and Express Delivery Supporter of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, UPS was responsible for virtually all the distribution and logistics services. Post-Games, UPS has just three months to reverse all of its operations, a task which took more than nine months to deliver. All 30 million deliveries, including one million pieces of sporting equipment, must be collected and delivered to UPS's two London 2012 warehouses ready for return, resale or recycling.

UPS (NYSE:UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight, the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, USA, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at www.UPS.com and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, visit www.pressroom.ups.com